The present invention relates, generally, to rotational holsters for holding electronic devices and, in particular embodiments, to holsters for holding a personal electronic device such as, but not limited to, a medical infusion pump, on a user""s belt, while allowing the electronic device to be rotatable relative to the belt, to position and maintain the electronic device in any one of a plurality of selectable rotational orientations.
Various holster products for handheld, personal electronic devices are in popular use. For example, such holster products are commonly used with mobile phones and pagers, to clip phones or pagers to a user""s belt. Typical holsters for pagers include a housing or harness which holds the pager, and a belt clip connected to the housing by a metal pin and a leaf spring, as shown in FIG. 1.
More specifically, with reference to FIG. 1, a typical holster for a pager may include a housing or harness 10 having a hollow interior for receiving and holding a pager (not shown). The harness 10 includes a back wall that has one or more extensions 12 for receiving a pivot pin 14. The holster in FIG. 1 also includes a clip member 16 having one or more extensions, corresponding to the extensions 12 of the harness back wall 11, for receiving the pivot pin 14. A leaf spring 18 is interposed between the clip member 16 and the harness back wall 11, to bias the clip member 16 into the position shown in FIG. 1, relative to the harness. By pressing one end 17 of the clip member 16 toward the back wall 11 of the harness, the opposite end 19 of the clip member 16 pivots away from the harness back wall 11, to allow the holster to be slipped over a user""s belt. Thereafter, the user may release the end 17 of the clip member, to allow the clip member 16 to snap back toward the harness back wall 11 under the force of the spring 18, to secure the harness to the user""s belt.
The type of harness design shown in FIG. 1 has certain advantages in that it is simple to operate, and easy and inexpensive to manufacture. Similar harness designs are utilized in conventional mobile telephone harnesses. Once clipped to a user""s belt, these types of harness designs tend to rigidly hold the pager or mobile telephone to the user""s belt.
As the sizes and shapes of mobile telephones have become more varied, the rigid type of holster design, as outlined above, have become less optimum for all cases. Larger telephones can obstruct the user""s motion or otherwise get in the way during common activities such as sitting down in a chair, or entering or exiting a car. To address those problems, free hanging holster designs were developed to allow the telephone to rotate freely about a rotation pin, as the wearer went about their daily activities. In such free hanging holster designs, a belt clip is rotatably attached to a harness, well above the center of gravity of the electronic device, to allow the electronic device to freely rotate with the user""s movements.
Belt clips have been used to attach other types of personal electronic devices to a user""s belt. For example, a mounting clip for mounting a medication infusion pump to a patient is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,317. In that patent, a clip member is configured to snap-on and snap-off the back of a pump. Because of it""s rigid, non-rotating, design, a clip configuration as described in that patent may have limitations as discussed above and, may also have limitations with respect to routing of tubing between the pump and the patient.
The tubing extending between the infusion pump and the patient can require different routes, depending upon the locations of the infusion pump and the tubing connection (or insertion) to the patient""s body. Routing of the tubing from the infusion pump can be uncomfortable and inconvenient for the infusion pump user for certain movements or positions, because some rigid belt clips require the tubing to extend straight upward from the belt. This orientation can be uncomfortable and inconvenient for the pump user for certain movements or positions. For example, when the user is sitting in a chair, the tubing can press against the body and generate a site of irritation. In addition, many infusion pump users try to be discrete regarding their medical condition. As a result, visible tubing extending from their belt line can be a source of emotional discomfort and embarrassment.
In addition, some infusion pumps (or other electronic devices) include displays, visual indicators or windows. In some cases, the locations of these displays, indicators or windows can be difficult for the user to see, when the infusion pump is clipped to the user""s belt. For example, the Minimed 508 infusion pump includes a window on the front side of the infusion pump, with adjacent interface buttons. It can also be somewhat difficult and inconvenient to view a display screen of an infusion pump or activate buttons or other operators on the infusion pump, while the infusion pump is attached to the user""s belt. Typically, to view a display screen or activate user operators on the infusion pump, the infusion pump is removed from the belt so that the screen can be viewed clearly and the buttons can be operated easily. This often requires extracting the tubing from its concealed location and then re-routing and concealing the tubing after the infusion pump is replaced on the belt.
Furthermore, some infusion pumps (or other electronic devices) include battery compartments that must be accessed to replace a battery. In some cases, the location of a battery compartment can make it difficult for a user to replace a battery, when the infusion pump is clipped to the user""s belt. To replace a battery, a user may have to remove the belt clip from the infusion pump (or other electronic device), to gain access to the battery compartment.
Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention relate to holsters with clips for holding electronic devices, such as, but not limited to, medical infusion pumps, medical monitors, medical devices or other personal electronic devices, in a manner which address the above-mentioned problems associated with conventional belt clips and holster configurations.
In particular embodiments, a holster includes a clip for selectively attaching the personal electronic device to a user""s apparel, such as a user""s belt, while allowing the electronic device to be rotatable relative to the user. The holster preferably includes a rotation mechanism that allows the holster to be rotated in a manner, to position and maintain the electronic device in any one of a plurality of selectable rotational orientations. By allowing the user to select and set the holster in any one of a plurality of selectable orientations, the user may adjust the holster orientation to an orientation that best suits the user""s needs. In the contexts of medical devices, such as medical infusion pumps or medical monitors, the ability of the holster to maintain a set orientation allows the user to arrange and route medical tubing, wiring or the like, in a manner that best accommodates the orientation. Additionally or alternatively, the user may select an orientation that best accomodates the user""s view or access to displays, indicators, compartments, buttons or other manual operators on the medical device.
A holster according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a harness portion and a clip portion. The harness portion includes a receptacle for an electronic device or medical device, such as a medical infusion pump or medical monitor. The clip portion includes clip structure adapted to clip onto a user""s apparel, such as a belt, a pocket, a trouser waistband, or the like. In a preferred embodiment, the clip structure includes a belt clip.
In particular embodiments of the present invention, the clip portion is coupled to the harness portion through a rotation mechanism, such that the clip and harness portions are rotatable relative to each other through a range of rotational positions. In additional embodiments, the rotation mechanism is configured to maintain a rotational position along the rotation range against the force of gravity. In this manner, the clip and harness portions may be manually rotated relative to each other and will be maintained (or locked) in a selected rotation position, until the user manually re-adjusts the relative rotational positions of those elements.
In other embodiments of the present invention, the rotation mechanism may include at least one of the group consisting of a ratchet mechanism, a rotary joint with sufficient frictional resistance to maintain selected rotational orientations, a rotary joint with a set screw, and a rotary joint with a locking pin. In a preferred embodiment, the rotation mechanism includes a ratchet mechanism having a ratchet pawl and a plurality of ratchet engagement elements. The ratchet pawl is disposed on one of the harness portion and the clip portion and the plurality of ratchet engagement elements are disposed on the other of the harness portion and the clip portion. In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of ratchet engagement elements are a plurality of indentations.
In a further embodiment the clip portion is pivotally connected by a hinge to the harness portion, to allow the harness portion to pivot upward relative to the clip portion. Yet further embodiments include a hinge for pivotally connecting the clip portion to the harness portion, but do not include a rotation mechanism. The pivotal connection of the clip portion to the harness portion allows the user pivot the harness portion (and, thus, a medical device received in the harness portion) upward, for example, to better accommodate the user""s view or access to displays, indicators, compartments, buttons or other manual operators on the medical device. Embodiments of the invention may be configured to hold, for example, a medical device, a medical infusion pump, a medical monitor or a personal electronic device.